Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman were joined by Dame Diana Rigg for forthcoming episode The Crimson Horror (Picture: PA)

Doctor Who star Jenna-Louise Coleman has revealed her excitement on appearing with Dame Diana Rigg in an upcoming episode of the show.

The veteran star features – along with her actress daughter Rachael Stirling – as a mother and daughter hiding a dark secret in the episode The Crimson Horror, which will screen later in the series.

And Coleman said that Rigg – who sprang to fame as Emma Peel in the 60s cult favourite The Avengers – was a pleasure to work with.

‘She was so funny on set,’ the actress told the website Vulture.

‘I think Matt Smith described her role as an old hag – but in the best possible way.’

Coleman also offered clues as to the nature of Rigg’s role, saying that the episode was set in the early 19th century and featured the actress as an adversary for the Doctor.

‘She’s our villain and she runs a place in 1800 Yorkshire called Sweetville, which is kind of Stepford Wives-y,’ Coleman said. ‘She has a big factory and she’s up to no good.’

David Tennant and Joanna Page joined the pair at a read-through of the 50th anniversary episode this week – but former star Sylvester McCoy has claimed the other Doctors are not involved (Picture: PA)

The second episode in the latest run of Doctor Who, entitled The Rings Of Akhaten, will be screened on Saturday evening at 6.15pm on BBC One.

Meanwhile details are continuing to emerge about the show’s 50th anniversary special, with former Doctor Sylvester McCoy throwing doubt over speculation that all the former incarnations of the character will be involved.

The actor, who played the Doctor from 1987-1989 – and briefly reprised the role in 1993 and 1996 – said he had not been approached to be a part of the show, and nor had any of his predecessors.

‘The 20th century Doctors haven’t heard anything,’ McCoy told Digital Spy. ‘I don’t know about the 21st century Doctors, but we from our century have not been asked to do it.’

‘All of us want to do it, just for the fans – because that’s what they want. But we’ve heard nothing – Tom Baker’s heard nothing, Colin Baker, Peter Davison, Paul McGann – none of us have heard anything.’

David Tennant, who played the role prior to Smith, was confirmed as appearing in the special episode last weekend, and was pictured at a run-through of the script with Smith, Coleman and fellow cast member Joanna Page.

Filming of the top secret special episode is due to kick off this week.